Independent research project
I'm a high school student hoping to apply to MIT in a few years, and I have a question about independent research.
I live in a place where research opportunities for high school students are almost nonexistent. Professors at the top universities here generally don't take high school students into their labs, and my school's science lab is old and honestly not in a condition where I could do any meaningful experimental work. My teachers also aren't really able to mentor research projects.
This summer, I decided to start my own neuroscience-related research project. It's based on survey data that I designed myself, collected online, and distributed to friends and other participants. I'm planning to analyze the data, write a proper research paper, and, if the final work is strong enough, try submitting it to a student or peer-reviewed journal.
I know this isn't the same as working in a university lab, and I'm not trying to pretend it is. I'm just trying to make the most of the opportunities I actually have.
How would admissions officers at schools like MIT view something like this? Would a well-executed independent research project still be considered meaningful, even if it wasn't done under a professor or in a lab? Has anyone here gotten into a top university with independent research rather than formal lab experience?